Snow fell thick and fast as a boy struggled through the woods, carrying a little girl on his back. She was covered in blood, her breathing faint.
"Hold on. You have to hold on!" The boy panted with exhaustion, but the scar on his forehead did nothing to hide the determination in his eyes.
"If only I'd come back sooner instead of staying the night elsewhere. Then Mom, Rokuta, Takeo, Delia, Shigeru... they wouldn't have..."
He fought back his tears, refusing to let them fall, and picked up his pace a little as he struggled along the mountain path.
"Ah..." Suddenly, the girl on his back stirred.
"Nezuko, are you awake? It's my fault. I should have come back ear-"
"Roar!" The girl called Nezuko suddenly opened her scarlet eyes, her face twisting viciously as she lashed out at the boy.
Luckily, the boy happened to turn his head just in time to dodge her claws. He stumbled, and with Nezuko thrashing around, they tipped sideways and tumbled down the slope.
Fortunately, the snow was deep enough. They rolled more than a dozen times and escaped with only a few scrapes.
Before the boy could react, Nezuko lunged onto him and pinned him down.
Clang! Her sharp teeth sank into the axe handle. The boy broke out in a cold sweat. Fortunately, he had drawn his axe in time to block her.
She's so strong. Am I going to die? In despair, the boy cried out the girl's name, trying to bring her back to her senses.
"She has no wounds, and there's no flesh or blood in her mouth. Nezuko didn't do it! Thank goodness."
The boy suddenly sniffed. "Why are there suddenly so many strangers nearby?"
"Urgh..." But a moment later, Nezuko's muscles suddenly swelled. Her strength kept